It was especially tough following my shoulder injury. I was able to play again after three months out, but it wasn't the same Boateng. I had the feeling I was in another body.
— Jerome Boateng
It's always fun to play against the best players. That's how you improve yourself.
For the most part, I don't care who plays at my side.
If a player has jewelry or a cool car, people in Germany are instantly jealous.
The Ballon d'Or is nice, but at the end of the day, I want to have success and play good, and if people recognise me, then I'm happy.
I'm very happy at Bayern.
As a child, I played on the road against bigger players. Due to my technical skills, I've always got by.
It really should not matter which colour of skin a person has. I know where my roots are, and I know that I've been born and raised in Germany. I see myself as a German, and I like to show that.
I am happy to be a German. I'm proud, or I wouldn't be here in the team.
I would like to concentrate fully on football during the Euro, and I would feel much better if my family is not sitting in the stadium.
When I'm warming up on the sidelines, I can often hear monkey chants. Me, who played so many matches for Germany.
I purposely got involved in the American market, as I'm really interested in it. I find the way they do marketing there really cool.
It's difficult to leave FC Bayern. Everything has to fall in place to top this club if I do it.
I can play at full back on either side, but I prefer the central defensive position.
I have always liked wearing clothes that help me stand out quietly, not loudly.
Messi simply cannot be stopped by yourself. Ronaldo is easier because he is more about athletic prowess.
I experienced everything at FC Bayern.
As a player, you know whether you are 100 percent or not.
When we lose the ball, I don't want to win it back directly. I act smarter now, have better anticipation, and also start earlier when somebody tries to lob the ball over me.
I don't want to be criticised for wearing sunglasses in the sun.
You need bad times to become a better and strong player.
Bayern is the biggest team in Germany, one of the biggest teams in Europe. Every year, world class players come along, so it's one of the strongest teams in the world.
I am the type of guy who regenerates very, very well.
I'm a fighter - I learned this as a child.
It would be a huge honour for me to wear the armband for Germany as the first black captain ever.
I didn't think every day, 'I'm world champion, I'm world champion,' not at all.
I was young myself and reliant on older players to make room for me.
I've had three injuries, and one took from 2016 to 2017 for me to recover. Three months I was out because I wasn't perfect, and I lost a lot of games for this injury.
There is a no more complete striker than Ronaldo. Left foot, right foot, header - he is in perfect control of everything he does.
I feel completely contented at Bayern - one of the biggest clubs in the world.
I believe my strengths are my pace and reading of the game.
I intend to explore emerging trends, not only in fashion but also in music and everything related to sports.
Messi and Ronaldo are the toughest. But I would also place Eden Hazard of Chelsea, Neymar of Barcelona, and Karim Benzema of Real Madrid on the list.
When I got older, I wanted to have shoes that no one else had, so I started to choose different shoes; then it followed to my clothes.
Real are really powerful in attack, really strong in defence, and have a balanced midfield. There's a reason they've won two Champions Leagues in a row.
I have improved both feet for my passing game as well as in the vertical play into attack, whether that be low balls or longer balls.
In football, you can never know what happens in the future.
I try every day to become a better player - passing more to open the game - I try everything because you can always be better.
Football should and has to remain beautiful - entertainment, a celebration for everyone.
No matter how often I was knocked to the ground, I always got up. Nothing knocks me down.
As a player, you would sometimes want a bit more public backing.
I have much to be grateful for at Bayern, and I feel super comfortable. I can't imagine being at another club.
I wanted to set new goals, because if you say, 'Oh, I'm world champion,' you don't grow, and you don't keep your level.
I will always look back with great pleasure on the time spent in the DFB team.
At Bayern, if you don't win the Champions League, it's always a criticism because we have a great team, but most of the people forget that there are other great teams, and it's not that we aren't special.
We can only stop Cristiano Ronaldo as a team. In front of goal, he's like a machine. You can't shut him out completely; he always gets his chances in a game because of the lines he runs and his excellent timing.
I had enquiries from Paris-Saint Germain and Manchester United, and I considered them.
Under Pep Guardiola, it's hard work. For me, Guardiola is one of the best coaches I've ever met. He's incredibly clever and tactically really good, and he knows how to speak to us, how to motivate us, and that's what it is like.
I stand for a Germany that is more colorful, cool, and optimistic about the future.
It is not about classical career questions but about questions for your life. Those are the questions that drive you on as a human being.
